Crafts and creative activities in the United States

Crafts and creative activities in the United States - Statistics & Facts

Crafts and creative activities may describe a wide variety of activities which are usually hobbies and typically involve making things with one's own hands. Such activities, first popularized by the “arts and crafts” movement of the early Victorian era, include skills in sewing, woodworking, painting and sculpting.

In the United States, some of the leading hobby and craft retailers include: Michaels Stores, Guitar Center, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Stores. As of 2015, there were over a thousand U.S. stores operated by Michaels Stores alone and, Guitar Center recorded around seven million U.S. dollars in sales per store for that same year. In 2016, spending in the U.S. by crafters on both kids’ craft, as well as, on painting and drawing each amounted to over seven million U.S. dollars. Sewing and fabric accounted for around 10.9 percent of the total amount spent by crafters for that same year. A monthly average of 60.49 U.S. dollars was spent by both male and female crafter in the U.S. as of September, 2016.

A survey by the Association for Creative Industries (AFCI) found that an estimated 63 percent of U.S. respondents had participated in either a craft or a hobby within the last 12 months. Painting and drawing, edible arts, kids’ crafts, and paper crafts were among some of the most popular craft or hobby activities the respondents had participated in. The same AFCI survey found that around 26 percent of floral crafters and 36 percent of those who participate in sewing and fabric crafts engage in those activities at least five hours per day.

Etsy, one of the most popular platforms for crafters to sell the items they create, recorded more than 1.7 million active sellers and generated an annual revenue of close to three billion U.S. dollars in 2016 alone.

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